Broederstroom

Broederstroom is a village situated beside the R512 road on the Daspoortrand (former Pretoria district) in the Witwatersrand, the southern foothills of the Magaliesberg in North West Province, South Africa. It grew from a Voortrekker settlement which was established in the wake of Mzilikazi's depopulation of the region during the mfecane. Various small to medium-sized businesses, overnight facilities, farm houses and informal settlements are located beside or just off the R512 on the western bank of the Crocodile River. The loose aggregation of residences and businesses are bisected by Jalalpor road running west to east, and Bart Pretorius road running south to north. The sprawling Pecanwood Golf Estate is some 4 km to the north, on the shore of the Hartbeespoort Dam.

==History== thumb|left|155px|Bart Pretorius, younger brother of Andries Pretorius Early Iron Age farmers were present here from the 6th century onwards, and the BaFokeng dominated the landscape from the start of 16th century. They suffered greatly during the mfecane of the 19th century, and the Voortrekkers entered the area immediately afterwards. The village is named after three brothers of General Andries Pretorius, namely Piet (H.P.N.), Bart (H.A.) and Wynand Pretorius, who established themselves here in the mid 19th century; the name is derived from Dutch broeder, meaning 'brother' and stroom, meaning 'stream'. Bart Pretorius built a house here around 1845. Andries Pretorius joined his younger brothers here in 1848, and his son M.W. Pretorius was likewise a resident. Well-known Afrikaans writer Sangiro was born in Broederstroom in 1894, and starting 1924, Afrikaner historian and language activist Gustav Preller visited the area, and eventually established him at nearby Pelindaba. Preller in turn was regularly paid visits by Eugène Marais, besides various artists and intellectuals.